130 years in practice
Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal
15 Chatterton Road, ABSA House, First Floor, Pietermaritzburg.
+27 (0)33 355 1780 Docex: 97 Pietermaritzburg
24 years in practice
Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal
11 Wembley Terrace, Town Hill, Pietermaritzburg, 3201+27(0)33 342 0738
23 years in practice
Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal
Top Floor, 3 Highgate Drive, Redlands Estate, 1 George MacFarlane Lane, Pietermaritzburg033 342 4800 Docex: 26 Pietermaritzburg
Law Firm
Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal
331 Bulwer Street, Pietermaritzburg033 394 22674 of the 9 firms in our Pietermaritzburg directory list debt collection as one of their practice areas (44%). Shepstone & Wylie has been practising the longest, at 130 years, followed by Morne du Plessis Attorneys Incorporated and Hay & Scott Attorneys. All of them have a full profile on our site, with their people, history and the courts they use.
Debt collection lawyers help businesses and individuals recover money they are owed, from a letter of demand through to judgment and execution. Consumer credit is regulated by the National Credit Act 34 of 2005, and most ordinary debts prescribe after three years, so it pays to act early. Some firms also help consumers with debt review and incorrect credit listings.
Claims of up to R200,000 are heard in the district magistrate's court and up to R400,000 in the Regional Court. The Small Claims Court handles claims of up to R30,000 (from 1 August 2026) without lawyers. Local matters are heard at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court at c/o Church and Otto Street, Pietermaritzburg 3201. The nearest Legal Aid SA office is in Pietermaritzburg itself: Legal Aid SA Pietermaritzburg Local Office, 187 Hoosen Haffejee Street, Pietermaritzburg, 3201. Legal Aid helps people who pass its means test, mainly in criminal, family and eviction matters.
Most ordinary debts prescribe after three years under the Prescription Act 68 of 1969, unless the debtor acknowledged the debt or legal action interrupted prescription.
A formal letter giving the debtor a deadline to pay before legal action. It is often the cheapest way to recover a debt.
Ask how the firm charges (some work on a percentage of what is recovered) and how often they will report back. Compare the firms listed above.
Smaller civil claims from Pietermaritzburg are heard at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court. Larger claims go to the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court.
Legal Aid South Africa helps people who qualify under its means test. The closest office to Pietermaritzburg is Legal Aid SA Pietermaritzburg Local Office.
